By Editorial Board, WashingtonPost: There is abundant evidence of the president's abuse of power on

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The Post’s View
The case for impeachment
There is abundant evidence of the presi


dent’s abuse of power on Ukraine.
(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)



By Editorial Board


December 10, 2019

The House of Representatives is moving toward a momentous decision about whether to impeach a president for only the third time in U.S. history. The charges brought against President Trump by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday are clear: that he abused his office in an attempt to induce Ukraine’s new president to launch politicized investigations that would benefit Mr. Trump’s reelection campaign, and that he willfully obstructed the subsequent congressional investigation.

Because of that unprecedented stonewalling, and because House Democrats have chosen to rush the impeachment process, the inquiry has failed to collect important testimony and documentary evidence that might strengthen the case against the president. Nevertheless, it is our view that more than enough proof exists for the House to impeach Mr. Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, based on his own actions and the testimony of the 17 present and former administration officials who courageously appeared before the House Intelligence Committee.

We believe Mr. Trump should receive a full trial in the Senate, and it is our hope that more senior officials will decide or be required to testify during that proceeding, so that senators, and the country, can make a fair and considered judgment about whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office. We have reserved judgment on that question. What is important, for now, is that the House determine whether Mr. Trump’s actions constituted an abuse of power meriting his impeachment and trial.

What follows is a summary of the evidence that we believe justifies charges against the president.
A White House meeting for investigations

According to testimony by State Department officials, a top priority of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following his election in April was obtaining a meeting with Mr. Trump at the White House. Mr. Trump, either directly or through his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, made the meeting contingent on an announcement by Mr. Zelensky of investigations into charges that Ukraine intervened in the 2016 presidential election, and that former vice president Joe Biden sought the dismissal of a Ukrainian prosecutor to aid his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.

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The House Intelligence Committee’s report rightly warns that “this unprecedented campaign of obstruction” poses a serious threat to U.S. democracy. “The damage to our system of checks and balances . . . will be long-lasting and potentially irrevocable if the President’s ability to stonewall Congress goes unchecked.”

Congress prepared an article of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon for a less comprehensive refusal to cooperate. Mr. Trump’s actions demand that Congress again act to protect a foundation of U.S. democracy.

More from Opinions:

Sergio Peçanha: The Trump impeachment inquiry, told with maps and dancing Rudys

Dana Milbank: Trump just assured his own impeachment

Ruth Marcus: For impeachment, quick and narrow is the way to go

Marc A. Thiessen: Democrats’ impeachment obsession is backfiring

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1. Marc Thiessen is a former speechwriter for Bush Jr.

He is part of the lunatic fringe.